Rome – October 27, 2026 -- OHB Italia's Eaglet-II constellation reached its planned 24 satellites after the third batch of eight launched at 20:32 CEST from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare mission. The launch brings Italy's IRIDE Earth observation programme to 39 satellites in orbit.

Eaglet-II hit full strength less than twelve months after its first satellites launched in 2025. IRIDE now combines the 24 Eaglet-II units with 15 HEO-constellation satellites already in orbit.

Vandenberg Space Force Base, California – October 27, 2026 -- The ATHENE-1 technology demonstrator, a small satellite of nearly 300 kilograms, has launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 and reached low Earth orbit as planned, starting the operational phase of a mission that will host 22 scientific experiments. LuxSpace, a subsidiary of OHB, built the satellite with the Bundeswehr University Munich. It flew on the Transporter-18 mission.

Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif. – September 28, 2026 -- Star Catcher Industries has its Protostar power node ready for launch aboard SpaceX's Transporter-18 mission, scheduled for October 2026, in an attempt to complete the first optical power beaming demonstration between two untethered spacecraft.